


Paying the Bills

by house_of_lantis



Series: Paying the Bills [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-07-15 21:57:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7240045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/house_of_lantis/pseuds/house_of_lantis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Billionaire playboy Tony Stark mistakes Bucky Barnes for a rent boy and propositions him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Mistaken Identity

**Author's Note:**

> Note: I’m just messing with all kinds of story timelines here. The Tony Stark in the story is pre-Iron Man; Steve Rogers is post-serum but not Captain America; Bucky Barnes is pre-Captain America: The First Avenger and never becomes the Winter Soldier or loses his left arm. Confused? Who cares! Read it for the sex! 
> 
> Note 2: This was originally posted under my "A Collection of One-Off Marvel Drabbles" but I actually kind of wanted to finish this story as a complete fic. The two previous chapters that were posted in my "A Collection" are now deleted; and re-edited to this post.

[ ](http://s769.photobucket.com/user/house_of_lantis/media/back2.png.html)

 

 

Bucky Barnes leaned against the bar, a bottle of beer in his hand, looking around to see if there was anyone he was interested in hooking up for the night. He scanned the moderately filled room, seeing a few appreciative looks coming his way, and he turned, a grin on his face as he put his elbows on the bar counter and pushed his ass out, shaking it to the beat of the music.

 

He looked down the bar and saw a few familiar faces, regulars like him, people who were out looking for something fun. Bucky wasn’t searching for love or romance, but it had been a few days since he’d gotten laid, and Steve had kicked Bucky out of their apartment, annoyed with Bucky’s restlessness.

 

_“Just go out, get laid or something,” Steve said, gripping the paintbrushes in his hand and taking a deep breath. “I can’t concentrate with you hovering.”_

 

Bucky took a drink from his bottle, eyes sliding expertly across the men and a couple of women, until he nearly choked on his beer when he saw a very familiar face, one that was usually splashed on tabloids or on entertainment blogs or on the business section of every major newspaper in the world – that was Tony Stark – billionaire Tony Stark, CEO of Stark Industries, the guy who went 12 for 12 of the _Maxim_ cover girls. Did the mooks in the bar not recognize him? There wasn’t anyone else who wore that signature mustache and goatee than Tony Stark.

 

_Holy shit, what was Tony Stark doing in a dive bar in Brooklyn, of all places?_

 

Shouldn’t he be in some VIP club surrounded by beautiful men and women? Didn’t he travel with an entourage of gorgeous people willing to do his bidding? He wasn’t even dressed up, just a simple dark gray V-neck sweater with the sleeves pushed up, his dark brown hair artfully tousled. Bucky thought that he looked even better in person.

 

He stared too long and Tony caught him looking, brown eyes zeroing in on Bucky; but Bucky didn’t turn away. Bucky grinned, acknowledging that he recognized Tony, and that it wasn’t a big fucking deal. Who was Tony Stark anyway except a rich fucking mook, as Stevie would say.

 

_Play it cool,_ he told himself, and turned his body so that he was leaning on his left arm, hip cocked out. He took another slow drink, head leaning back and swallowing so that anyone watching could see his Adam’s apple bob in his throat.

 

He made eye contact with Stark, held Tony’s interested gaze for a long moment, and then gave Tony his best smile before looking away. Everybody approached Tony Stark, wanted Tony Stark; if Tony wanted Bucky, then he’d have to make the move. But Bucky would make it easy for Tony, he kept his body language open and approachable, looking around the club again, eyeing the very attractive Asian man on the other side of the room.

 

_Come on, Stark, come over here. Come get me before I let someone else take me home_ , Bucky thought.

 

Bucky knew he was a good looking guy; he was fit and healthy, kept the drinking and the cigarettes to a minimum. He worked four part-time jobs so that he could pay his share of the rent of the perfect DUMBO apartment that he and Steve shared. He was just vain enough to save up the little cash that he had to get a really good haircut.

 

He felt Tony’s eyes on him and Bucky smiled to himself, eyes crinkling at the edges. From the corner of his eye, he saw Tony slide off his bar stool.

 

The pretty Asian man smiled at Bucky and he held the other man’s gaze as he licked his lips. If it didn’t work out with Tony Stark – _holy shit, was Bucky seriously going to hook up with Tony Stark?_  – then the Asian man was definitely someone Bucky wanted to spend time with. He took another sip of his beer as Tony Stark sidled up to him, eyes dark and lips curled in amusement.

 

“Him or me,” Tony said, meeting Bucky’s eyes. Bucky thought it was kind of funny that Tony was an inch or two shorter than him.  

 

Bucky chuckled, his heartbeat picking up. _Tony Stark was talking to him! He was hitting on Bucky in a Brooklyn bar! Steve was not going to believe this shit!_

 

“Well, depends on what you’re offering, Mr. Stark.”

 

He watched as Tony looked him over – tight faded jeans, long legs, black tee-shirt that was see-thru in the right light – and he turned so that he was giving Tony his full attention.

 

“My limo’s outside,” Tony said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a crisp hundred dollar bill. He tossed it on the counter, settling Bucky’s bill and giving Stu, the bartender, an awesome tip. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

 

He winked at Bucky and turned, walking through the club, his stride confident and arrogant, as if he didn’t care whether Bucky followed him or not.

 

He probably didn’t.

 

Bucky wasn’t an idiot; he finished his beer and followed Tony Stark out of the bar.

 

Outside, he looked up and down the street, and caught Tony heading across the street to the black stretch limo parked on the other side, a burly man wearing a suit got out of the driver’s side and walked to open the back door for Tony. Bucky crossed the street and gave the driver a little salute before he ducked into the back of the limo after Tony.

 

Tony leaned against the seat and smiled at Bucky. He pressed a discreet button on a panel. “Happy, take us around Brooklyn, show us the sights.”

 

“You got it, boss,” the driver, Happy, said, his voice tinged with knowing amusement.

 

“So,” Tony said, clapping his hands and leaning towards Bucky. “What’s the going rate these days for you boys?”

 

Bucky blinked. “Pardon?”

 

“I can’t remember the last time I procured the services of a professional,” he said, simply, meeting Bucky’s eyes. He reached out and stroked his fingers along Bucky’s cheek, brushing against his bottom lip. Tony’s touch was gentle and sensual. “You are a very pretty boy. What’s your price? Or do we negotiate an a la carte menu of services while my driver takes us around the city?”

 

_Holy shit, Tony Stark thought Bucky was a rent boy!_

 

Steve was going to shit a brick when Bucky told him about this! This was going to be hilarious! Not only did Tony Stark pick him up in a dive bar, totally outside what was probably Tony’s usual playground, but he was going to pay Bucky for sex.

 

He cleared his throat, feeling his face flush. “Depends on what you want.”

 

“Suck my cock, make me come,” Tony said, leaning back on the plush seat and parting his legs invitingly. “I’d like you to swallow; I’m clean – my medical profile is public knowledge, fuck you _WikiLeaks_.”

 

Bucky licked his lips. This was going to make a great story; no one would ever believe him.

 

“Yeah, all right,” he said, getting on his knees on the thick carpeted floor, his hands running up Tony’s firm thighs. “Want it fast or slow?”

 

Tony grinned. “Surprise me.”

 

Bucky nodded, quickly undoing the front of Tony’s black slacks. He palmed the hardness, tracing the length and width of him under the silk boxers. He carefully tugged down the slacks and boxers, revealing Tony’s neat thatch of pubes, hard cock, and balls.

 

“That’s a good mouthful,” he murmured, looking coyly up at Tony.

 

Tony laughed, running a hand through Bucky’s hair and grabbing a handful. He tugged gently, but meaningfully. “Get to work, kiddo.”

 

“Yes, sir, Mr. Stark,” Bucky said, licking his lips and leaning down to take the head into his mouth, keeping his eyes on Tony.

 

Tony met his gaze, eyelids heavy with want, but a clear challenge in the brightness of his eyes, the curve of his mouth.

 

_Fuck, how many people had sucked him off? How many of them were better than Bucky?_

 

Bucky did not like being second best. He tried every trick he knew, watching for Tony to break, to see him succumb to the pleasure that Bucky gave him. He licked, he sucked, he hummed, he took Tony deep into his throat and swallowed, he made sloppy noises, he slurped noisily, and he turned his head so the head of Tony’s cock pressed against the soft inside of his cheek.

 

He pulled off and sucked one of Tony’s balls into his mouth and felt Tony’s thighs tremble, a soft moan leaving Tony’s mouth.

 

_Now, they were on to something,_ Bucky thought greedily, reaching up with his right hand to curl around Tony’s length, stroking him teasingly as he gently licked and sucked on his balls.

 

“Fuck,” Tony whispered, one hand dropping into Bucky’s hair, fingers curling around the hair urgently. “Yes, that’s it.”

 

Bucky grinned, he had Tony now; knew how to make the man moan for him. He swirled the pad of his thumb over the slick head and watched as Tony closed his eyes, inhaling deeply through his parted mouth.

 

“I want to hear you,” Bucky told him, licking up the cock in his hand and curling his mouth over the head, sucking hard as he flicked the tip of his tongue over the slit. He kept up the stroking with his right hand in counterpoint to Bucky sucking and bobbing his mouth up and down; his left hand cupping both balls and squeezing gently.

 

Tony moaned, thrusting his hips against Bucky, his other hand reaching down to hold onto Bucky’s shoulder. “Fuck, please…”

 

God, Bucky was going to be jerking off from this for the rest of his life. His cock was hard under his jeans, throbbing and already wet; he was going to end up coming in his jeans from watching and listening to Tony Stark come undone because of Bucky’s mouth.

 

“That fucking mouth,” Tony murmured, eyelids fluttering. “As soon as I saw you in the bar, watched you drink from your beer bottle, I knew your mouth would feel this good.”

 

Bucky let out a moan, letting it vibrated around the head, and he took his right hand away so he could sink down as far and as deep as he could take Tony. He fought hard through his gag reflex, breathing through his nose, feeling his throat click and trying to push Tony out of his mouth.

 

“Fuck. Fuck!”

 

Bucky pulled off, gulping in a loud breath.

 

“Don’t stop, baby, come on, give me your mouth,” Tony whined, breathlessly, and utterly gone with pleasure.

 

He put his mouth back on Tony, both hands working him hard now, sucking so his cheeks were hallowed out, and kept his eyes on Tony’s face.

 

“Ready, baby?” Tony said, thickly. “Come on, just a little more, yes, right there, just like that, baby, just like that. I’m going to come in your mouth and you’re going to swallow all of it, aren’t you? You’re going to be a good boy, aren’t you—fucking Christ!”

 

Tony’s cock pulsed inside Bucky’s mouth, the taste of him filling Bucky’s senses. He bobbed his head and swallowed, moving his hand in tandem, the other squeezing his balls gently, milking every last drop from them.

 

Tony groaned deeply, hands sliding through Bucky’s hair, curving gently around Bucky’s neck, thumbs pressed against his throat so he could feel Bucky swallowing. He looked up to see Tony staring at him, eyes nearly black, panting through his opened mouth.

 

Bucky pulled off of him gently, slowly, a little disappointed that it was over so quickly. He lapped at the head as his right hand squeezed just under the head, milking the last few drops from his cock.

 

“You got it all, I promise,” Tony said, chuckling softly.

 

“ _Mmmmm_ …that was fun,” Bucky told him, licking him one last time and letting Tony go. He stared at Tony as he pulled his hand away, slurping off the come and drool from his skin.

 

He started wiping his hand on the hem of his tee-shirt when Tony handed him a wet wipe packet. Of course Tony Stark would have supplies in his limo. He smiled his thanks and cleaned his face and his hands, getting off of his knees to sit on the bench seat across from Tony.

 

Tony was still sprawled on the seat, a pleased look on his face.

 

“You look like the cat that got the canary,” Bucky said, looking for a place to dispose of the wet wipe.

 

“There’s a trash compartment there,” Tony said, motioning to the little space under the limo bar. “Do you want a drink?”

 

“Nah, I’m good,” he said, smacking his lips and laughing softly. He kind of liked having the taste of billionaire come in his mouth.

 

Tony pulled up his boxers and his slacks, setting himself back to rights, and let out a contented sigh of pleasure. “Where can we drop you?”

 

Bucky looked out the window and recognized the neighborhood. They weren’t that far from his place. “Couple of streets down, if you don’t mind?”

 

Tony reached for the button on the panel. “Hap, drive a couple more blocks down the street and pull over to let out our guest.”

 

“Okay, boss.”

 

Bucky bit his lip as Tony stared at him; he looked like he wanted to say something, but changed his mind. He reached for his wallet and pulled out a few bills, handing it to Bucky.

 

“For your time,” he said, winking.

 

Bucky stared at the handful of hundred dollar bills in his hand. “I know my blowjobs are world class, but that’s a bit more than the going rate.”

 

“For your discretion.”

 

“I doubt anyone would believe me anyway,” he said, chuckling, and tucked the bills into the front pocket of his jeans.

 

Tony laughed, throaty and low. “Depends on who you tell.”

 

“I’m not interested in bragging rights, Mr. Stark.”

 

Tony didn’t say anything, but raised his eyebrows in amusement.

 

The limo slowed down and pulled over at the curb. Bucky looked out; he was just a block from home. “I’ll get out here.”

 

“You sure? I could just drop you off in front of your place,” Tony offered; Bucky thought that he meant it, too.

 

“It’s all right,” Bucky said, reaching for the door. He was surprised when Happy opened the door for him from the outside. “It was good meeting you, Mr. Stark.”

 

“The pleasure was all mine,” Tony said, smirking. “Hey, what’s your name anyway?”

 

Bucky paused, one foot out the door. He turned and met Tony’s gaze. “Uh…James.”

 

“Maybe I’ll see you again, Jimmy boy.”

 

“Sure, why not? It’s a small world,” Bucky said, winking at Tony as he got out of the limo. He nodded to the driver. “Thanks, man.”

 

“Have a good evening,” Happy said, nodding to him.

 

Bucky pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lighter from his back pocket and walked down the street. He lit his cigarette and inhaled deeply, enjoying the taste of come and nicotine. The limo pulled away from the curb and slowly passed him. Bucky turned to look, flashed the signature Tony Stark peace sign at the darkened window, and laughed softly to himself, imagining Tony Stark’s expression.

 

Tony fucking Stark.

 

_Jesus…it was definitely one for the books._

 

***

 

“Stevie! You’re not going to fucking believe this!” Bucky called as he walked into his apartment.

 

Steve was still sitting on his stool, working on his large canvas painting. It looked like Steve was making some progress in the time that Bucky was gone. Bucky loved Steve’s work, even though he didn’t always understand the abstract designs that Steve created. The walls of their small apartment had some of Steve’s best pieces; great bursts of color and strong, clean lines of paint splashed across small and large canvasses.

 

“Hey, that’s looking real good. It’s supposed to be Brooklyn, right?”

 

“In winter.” He grinned over his shoulder, seeing Bucky. “How was your night?”

 

“I blew Tony fucking Stark in the back of his limo.”

 

Steve nearly dropped his paintbrush. He turned to stare at Bucky, his blue eyes wide and face flushed a rosy pink. “What?”

 

Bucky grabbed the cash from his pocket, waving it at Steve. “He paid me cash for giving him a blow job!”

 

“Why the fuck did you do that, Buck?”

 

“I don’t know! He offered?” He laughed, carefully unfolding the cash in his hand, counting it out. “Ohmygod, Tony Stark paid me $500 for a blowjob!”

 

“Bucky—“

 

“Come on, you have to admit that it’s a pretty funny story and now we have some more money to stash away in our savings account,” he said, seeing the black mood crossing Steve’s pretty face. “What’s $500 to a guy like Tony Stark? It’s like if I paid you a nickel if you gave me a blowjob.”

 

Steve rolled his eyes. “Worth more than a nickel, jerk.”

 

Bucky laughed and kissed the side of Steve’s head. “Yes, Stevie, you’d definitely be worth more than a nickel.”

 

“You can’t ever tell anyone about this, Bucky,” he said, sternly. “Also, prostitution is illegal. Tony Stark is a billionaire, no one would care, but you could go to jail for soliciting.”

 

“It’s not like I’m going to brag about it,” he said, snorting. “I’m only telling you because it’s a funny story.”

 

Steve shook his head and took a deep breath. He cocked his head shyly and gave a little smile. “So, um…how was it?”

 

“You know I don’t kiss and tell.”

 

Steve threw a paintbrush at Bucky’s head. “You’re a damn mook, Bucky Barnes!”  

 

Bucky licked his lips and leered at Steve. “It was good, Stevie, real good. Billionaire sperm tastes pretty clean and rich.”

 

Steve groaned and shook his head. “You’re so gross.”

 

Bucky laughed again, hugging Steve and then heading down the hallway to his room. “I need to jerk off; I’m going to be thinking about that blowjob and jerking off for the next seventy years! Don’t disturb me for the rest of the night, huh?”

 

“I hate you,” Steve called after him.


	2. Meeting Again

Bucky loved the city; in fact, he loved all five boroughs, even though he was partial to Brooklyn. There was always something to do, no matter how broke he and Steve were, their days and nights were never boring, unless they wanted to stay in and drink cheap beer and mainline whatever was in the queue on Steve’s Netflix.

 

After graduating from CUNY-Brooklyn College, they both applied to New York University and were accepted. Bucky was working on his MS in Biomedical Engineering at the Tandon School of Engineering while Steve was doing a dual MS/MA in Conservation and Art History at NYU Institute of Fine Arts. Between their scholarships, multiple part-time jobs, and just scrimping and saving, they were able to live in a nice two-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. They commuted into the city, but it was worth it.

 

One of Bucky’s four jobs was working for Ronson Catering Company. They did a lot of work for Stark Industries events. This particular event was some kind of awards dinner, congratulating ten exceptional college graduates with Stark Industries scholarship money for graduate school and the legendary prized internships that led to full-time employment and opened career doors. Even if they didn’t want to work at Stark Industries, the fact that they were an SI intern pretty much guaranteed them jobs in the company of their choice.

 

Bucky would’ve given his left arm to have gotten one of those Stark Industries internships. He never told Steve, but he had applied, along with 3,000 other hopeful candidates, and hadn’t gotten accepted. It was a long shot. There were rumors that Tony Stark himself took on one intern for personal mentoring; despite Tony Stark’s reputation as a playboy, he took his mentoring duties pretty seriously, and at the end of the internship, he or she was offered a prime position at Stark Industries, usually something in emerging technologies, and part of Tony Stark’s inner circle of loyal and brilliant engineers.

 

 _Keeping the dream alive_ , Bucky thought, leisurely smoking his cigarette as he leaned against the brick wall, looking down at the row of limousines lined up along the back street.

 

Three limos down, the back door opened and a familiar face with artfully styled head of brown hair leaned out of the door and grinned at Bucky.

 

“Hey, kiddo, you on the clock?”

 

Bucky blinked, pushing off the wall. “Mr. Stark?”

 

He ducked back into the limo and waved his hand, beckoning Bucky to him, leaving the door open.

 

 _Well, why the hell not?_ Bucky thought, crushing the cigarette under his shoe and walking towards the opened door of the limo. It had been two weeks since the last time he saw Tony Stark – not to mention two weeks of intense jerk-off sessions, remembering the way that Tony groaned and the way he tasted.

 

He got in and sat across from Tony, feeling a little nervous. Tony Stark was the star at the event; Bucky had watched with polite professional distance as Tony Stark shook hands, posed for pictures, and flirted with everyone at the event. He was dressed in a tailored black tuxedo, the top buttons of his crisp white dress shirt undone, and the bowtie hanging untied around his neck.

 

“Is this one of your jobs?”

 

Bucky grinned. “There are lots of ways to pay the bills, Mr. Stark.”

 

He watched as Tony leaned back in his seat, eyes dark in the dim light of the limo. “What else do you do?”

 

“Well, the catering gig is the best, it pays well, lets me work nights and weekends and we can eat the leftovers. I work at the NYU Bookstore a few hours a week. I work the overnight janitorial service at a few buildings in Manhattan. And I do some nude modeling for art classes here and there.”

 

Tony chuckled. “You sound like a college student.”

 

“Grad student, really,” he said, smiling.

 

“What’re you studying?”

 

Bucky laughed, leaning his elbows on his knees and winking at Tony. “Are you seriously asking me what’s my major?”

 

Tony smiled, his hand stroking along his own thigh, teasing and tantalizing. “I’m just curious to know what you’re studying.”

 

“Biomedical engineering at NYU.”

 

Tony whistled. “Heavy workload?”

 

“But worth it,” he said, licking his lips and taking a deep breath. “Look, Mr. Stark, if you wanted something…I got like five minutes left on my break before the boss comes looking for me.”

 

“Same deal as before, Jimmy?”

 

 _Tony Stark remembered his fucking name!_ He crowed inside. Bucky nodded, moving to his knees, running his hands up Tony’s thighs. “Yes.”

  

“Come here, give me your mouth,” Tony said, one hand curling into Bucky’s hair.

 

***

 

It didn’t take long to make Tony come and Bucky took his time swallowing, careful not to spill anything on Tony’s expensive pants. He wiped his mouth and hands with the wet wipe as Tony reached into his jacket and pulled out a black billfold. He slipped the cash into Bucky’s hand and gave him a lazy, contented smile.

 

“Maybe I’ll see you again soon,” Tony Stark said, winking at him.

 

“Sure,” Bucky said, agreeably. “Maybe at the next Stark Industries event.”

 

***

 

Bucky saw Tony Stark at three more Stark Industries events; three more blowjobs; each ending with Bucky holding $500 cash in his hand.

 

“Hey, Stevie, do you have any more deposit slips for our bank account?”

 

Steve sighed, his broad shoulders tense. “Buck, you’ve got to stop doing this.”

 

“It’s fine,” Bucky said, laughing. “We’ve got some money in the bank now. We don’t have to worry about figuring out which bill to pay, which bill we can afford to be late on.”

 

“If I need to take another part-time job or give up buying art supplies, I’ll do it,” Steve said, his eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t want you to…to have to sell yourself to some rich mook.”

 

“I’m not selling myself to some rich mook,” he said, looking at his best friend. “Steve, quit worrying about it. It’s not a big deal.”

 

“Bucky—“

 

“And don’t give me any of that shit about not buying art supplies,” he said, pointing his finger at Steve. “You keep doing your art, that’s just as important as anything else that we do, you hear?”

 

“Why do you…keep doing it?”

 

Bucky laughed, looking at the mulish pout on Steve’s face. “Are you kidding me? He’s fucking hot; and I can’t get enough of seeing him come because of me.”

 

“He’s just using you.”

 

“Ohmygod, is he? Tony Stark is using me?” Bucky said, putting his hands on his cheeks, wide-eyed and mocking. “We’re just…using each other. It’s a business transaction. There’s nothing to it, Steve, I swear.”


	3. A New Deal

It was rare that Bucky and Steve could afford to go out and splurge on dinner and then meet up with their friends from school for drinks. They spent most of their money in Brooklyn, both of them committed to keeping their money in the neighborhood, but once a month, they’d go into the city and find some weird or hip underground bar in SoHo or a popular bar near the NYU campus and close out the night in the early hours.

 

_“Maybe we shouldn’t go out, it’ll be expensive.”_

_“Are you fucking kidding me? Come on, we haven’t seen our friends in a long time and—“_

_“I don’t like the fact that we’re using the money you earned doing…doing **that** with Tony Stark! It makes me feel guilty, like you should spend it on yourself and not on—“_

_“Hey!” Bucky said, cutting Steve off. “It doesn’t matter how we got the money. I want to spend it on us and I want us to have a good time with our friends without, for once, worrying about our bills, okay? So just…don’t, Steve, don’t make me feel bad about any of this.”_

 

He was heading back to their table when he saw that Natasha had his phone and was talking to someone.

 

“…Tony who? I know all of Bucky’s friends and he doesn’t have a friend named Tony.”

 

Steve was glaring at him, clutching a mug of beer in his hand.

 

Bucky took the phone from Natasha and laughed a little too loudly. “Nat! Don’t you know not to ever answer another man’s phone?”

 

“So who’s Tony?” Sam said, looking at Steve. “You know who Tony is, don’t you?”

 

“None of your business,” Bucky said, taking his phone and walking through the bar to the sidewalk outside. He pressed the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

 

“Bucky, huh?” Tony Stark said, his voice deep and full of amusement. “Thought it was James.”

 

“It’s a nickname,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his pack of cigarettes. He bit into the filter of one and pulled it out, lighting it with one hand. “How did you get my number? I don’t recall ever giving it to you?”

 

“You’d be surprised how easy it is to get information you want when you’re me. Where are you, Buckaroo?”

 

“In the city, out with friends,” he said, inhaling on his cigarette. “Why did you call?”

 

He felt his stomach flutter with nerves, like he was trying to put a date together.

 

“I was wondering if you’d like to meet,” Tony said, chuckling. “I have a new deal that I’d like to go over with you.”

 

“A new deal, huh?” He said, grinning slightly. “What kind of new deal?”

 

“One that will benefit both of us in many pleasurable ways,” Tony murmured, temptingly.

 

Bucky tucked his cigarette into his mouth and ran his free hand through his hair. “I’m kind of out with my pals tonight.”

 

“Can’t ditch them? I get that. I wouldn’t want to ditch my best friends either for a quick hook up. Look—“

 

“I can meet you later? In an hour?” Bucky said, quickly; he wasn’t sure if he’d ever see Tony Stark again if he didn’t try to meet him. And what the fuck did that say about him?

 

“James—“

 

“I’m at Reservoir Bar, it’s on University Place in Greenwich,” he said, frowning slightly. “Where can I meet you?”

 

There was a long silence on the other end.

 

“Tony?”

 

Bucky closed his eyes and kicked the brick wall. _Fuckity fuck fuck!_

 

“Mr. Stark,” he said, sharply. Did Tony Stark hang up on him?

 

“I’ll be in the limo, thirty minutes. Meet me in the back alley.”

 

***

 

Bucky finished his drink, laughing at a story that Clint was telling, and ignoring Steve’s hard stare. He reached into his wallet and tossed some twenties on the table and got to his feet.

 

“You’re leaving?” Steve said, slamming his mug on the table, beer sloshing onto the surface.

 

He grinned and took his jacket off his chair, pulling it on. He wrapped his blue and gray linen scarf around his neck and put his newsboy cap on his head.

 

“What can I say?” Bucky said, chuckling softly. “I’ve got a thing I need to get to.”

 

Steve huffed and rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe you’re going to ditch us for **him**.”

 

“OK, seriously, you have to tell us who this Tony dude is,” Sam said, looking from Steve to Bucky. “I don’t think Rogers here has ever not liked someone that we were seeing.”

 

“Maybe later,” Bucky said, curling his arm around Steve’s neck and pressing a kiss to his head. “See you at home, don’t be sour at me, Stevie.”

 

“Whatever,” Steve said, elbowing Bucky in his thigh. He knew Steve wasn’t really pissed at him; if he were, the elbow would’ve been a lot higher.

 

“Night, everyone! Get home safe,” Bucky called, heading out of the bar. He walked the block, checking behind him to see if anyone was following him, and turned, heading to the alley behind the row of buildings.

 

The limo flashed its headlights at Bucky and started to carefully roll towards him. Bucky waited for the vehicle to stop, the back window rolling down and Tony Stark looking out at him.

 

“Hey,” Bucky said, grinning. He opened the door and slipped into the luxurious darkness, rolling up the window. “You stalking me now?”

 

Tony chuckled, nonplussed. “It seemed silly to wait until another Stark Industries event. I was about to host one so I could get your catering company to work the event.”

 

“Just to see me?” Bucky teased, biting his bottom lip as he grinned up at Tony. “You could’ve just asked for my number.”

 

“Asking for your number seemed like a big step.”

 

“And stalking me isn’t?” Bucky sighed and gave a smirk. “Well, I guess you know my full name now since you know my number.”

 

“James Buchanan Barnes,” Tony said, cocking his head. “Bucky short for Buchanan?”

 

“My kid sister named me,” he said, shrugging. “It just stuck.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell me that first night?”

 

He smiled and looked away. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. Seemed kind of…well, only family and friends call me Bucky.”

 

Tony stared at him for a long moment and Bucky pulled off his newsboy cap, feeling fidgety under Tony’s sharp gaze.

 

“So you wanted to talk to me about a new deal? This one not working out for you?”

 

“I want to expand on the deal,” Tony said, smiling at him. “Exclusive contract.”

 

Bucky felt his ears become hot. “Exclusive…meaning just you.”

 

“Just me, kiddo,” he said, agreeably. “You can quit all your part-time jobs, drop all of your Johns, and be available to me.”

 

“I have classes during the day, sometimes at night, but I have Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday nights free,” he said, feeling weirdly grown up about discussing this with Tony Stark. “I need time to study and work on projects.”

 

“I want your Tuesday and Friday nights, to start,” Tony said, cocking his head and looking at Bucky with steady, sure eyes. “So how much do you make, from working all of your jobs?”

 

“If I get the hours I need, I can bring in about $3,000 a month,” he said, shrugging.

 

Tony Stark chuckled, sitting back against the seat. “Not a lot of people would think of low balling me.” He ran his hand down over his beard, smiling widely. “I’ll pay you $3,000 a week for two nights, the whole night. Seven PM to seven AM.”

 

“Um, okay…” Bucky said, frowning slightly. “What am I going to do for that much money?”

 

“Smart boy for asking,” Tony murmured, taking a deep breath. “Before anything happens, you’re going to get a med test, I will too, to make sure we’re both clean. I’m pretty easy to please; I have some kinks but nothing too rough or unusual. Despite my tabloid lifestyle, I’m uncomplicated and vanilla.”

 

Bucky grinned, shaking his head. “I would never call you uncomplicated.”

 

“I’m not sharing you with anyone, you’re not a party favor. I also don’t expect you to share yourself with anyone while under contract with me. Is that acceptable?”

 

“Acceptable.” Bucky narrowed his eyes and looked at him. “Are you going to share yourself with anyone?”

 

Tony laughed. “No, I’m not looking for a relationship and I’m bored by one night stands. This is the ideal set up for me.”

 

“Okay. What else?”

 

“I want to fuck you,” Tony said, frankly. “And there may be times when I’ll want you to fuck me. I want to blow off some steam in an environment that I fully control.”

 

“Condoms?”

 

“Yes. Mandatory.”

 

Bucky nodded, licking his lips. “When do I start?”

 

“Right now,” Tony said, leaning back on the seat and opening his legs. “Come here, Bucky.”

 

***

 

“I’ll send you the usual SI contract as an independent contractor,” Tony said, smoothing down his shirt and reaching for his billfold.

 

“All right.”

 

“Cash for tonight,” Tony said, handing him his $500 fee; and then another handful of hundreds. “And a thousand to hold you over to get you out of your other jobs, until the med tests come up clean. I’ll be in touch.”

 

Bucky looked out the tinted window to see that the limo had pulled up in front of his apartment building. He looked at Tony, wondering how much he knew about Bucky.

 

“Don’t take it too personally,” Tony said, reaching out to touch Bucky’s face. “Everyone who gets involved with me gets vetted. Let’s just say that everything came up clean or we wouldn’t be here.”

 

“Good night, Mr. Stark.”

 

“Good night, Bucky.”

 

Bucky got out of the limo and closed the door. He took a few steps back and waved as the limo pulled away from the curb.


	4. He’s Not Really a Sex Worker, Per Se…

He doesn’t tell Steve about the exclusive contract with Tony Stark. Whether it was because Bucky didn’t want to have another fight about it or because a part of Bucky felt a little…bought and paid for, it wasn’t something Bucky wanted to get into with Steve and it wasn’t something Bucky wanted to think about too deeply.

 

Bucky Barnes was an official high-priced sex worker; his family would disown him if they ever found out.

 

The next time Bucky would see Tony, he would be under an official Stark Industries employment contract as an independent consultant.

 

“Hey, kiddo, if you’re available today after your classes, I’m sending my executive assistant to meet you so you can sign the contract and the standard non-disclosure form.”

 

Bucky pressed his phone against his ear, sitting back in the café chair. “Sure, just tell me the time and place.”

 

“Per Se’s at 7 PM, dinner’s on us. Pepper’s great, so treat her right, and I’ll see you Friday night at Stark Tower.”

 

“Okay, thanks,” he whispered, his hands shaking slightly.

 

He ended the call and placed his phone on top of the round wrought-iron café table, and rubbed the palms of his hands on his pants. _Shit just got real,_ he thought, biting his lower lip.

 

 

***

 

Thomas Keller’s Per Se Restaurant wasn’t the kind of place that Bucky could normally afford; it was obviously high-end dining, but the kind of place that was known for absolute discretion. The tables in the main dining room were spaced apart far enough so that diners could have privacy. The wait staff were dressed formally in tailored black suits and moved gracefully through the main dining room. This kind of joint was the kind of place that Tony Stark would come to dine with his business associates or his lover. It wouldn’t be the kind of place that Tony Stark would take his high-priced sex worker. Bucky wasn’t sure what kind of message Tony Stark was sending him, but he was certain that it probably meant something.

 

He felt under dressed in his khaki pants and blue polo shirt, but he hadn’t wanted to try and get back to Brooklyn to change and then go back into Manhattan. He was probably sure that he wouldn’t have gotten seated, if it weren’t for the fact that he was invited by Tony Stark.

 

“Good evening, sir,” the Maitre’D said, politely, looking at Bucky’s casual attire. “Welcome to Per Se.”

 

“Hi,” he said, clearing his throat. “I’m Bucky Barnes. I’m supposed to meet, um, Pepper…”

 

“Of course, Mr. Barnes, we’ve been expecting you. Ms. Pott’s has just arrived and I’ve seated her at Mr. Stark’s table. If you’d follow me, please.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

Figured that Tony Stark had his own table in a place like this. He was a goddamned billionaire, what the hell was Bucky thinking to—

 

_Keep it together, dipshit! This wasn’t the time to start losing it._

 

Bucky walked into the dining room, looking around at the low lights and the other diners. They were dressed tastefully, but far more formally than Bucky. He felt like he stood out like a sore thumb, a country rube, and flushed as he made his way towards the back of the dining room. Maybe he should’ve made the time to get changed.

 

The Maitre’D led Bucky to the second tier balcony where a single woman occupied the section, the other tables empty. They had a corner table, situated for upmost privacy.

 

Pepper Potts was a beautiful woman with long, straight blond hair and a professional smile. She wore a white jacket and matching skirt, and she was tall and elegant as she stood up to greet him with a firm handshake.

 

“Mr. Barnes, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for joining me. I’m Pepper Potts, Mr. Stark’s executive assistant. Would you care for some wine or something else to drink?”

 

Bucky placed his backpack on the floor, nudging it out of the way, next to the curved brown velvet couch with his foot. “Uh, no, just water is fine, thanks.”

 

He waited for her to slide back on the couch and sat down to her left, keeping a polite distance from her. The couch seat was plush and firm at the same time, but it was kind of awkward and intimate. Of course, if this was Tony Stark’s usual table, it kind of made sense that he’d have comfort, intimacy, and privacy at the same time.

 

Pepper smiled and looked across the room, signaling for their waiter.

 

“Sorry for, um, not putting on a suit,” he said, looking at her. “I didn’t know that we’d be meeting at such a fancy place.”

 

“No need to apologize, Mr. Barnes,” she said, warmly. “Mr. Stark didn’t mention it because it wouldn’t have mattered to him. Or to me.”

 

“Okay, thanks,” he said, giving her a small smile. “I guess we both know why I’m here.”

 

“Wouldn’t you like to have dinner first?” Pepper said, raising her eyebrows to the menu in front of him. “The food here is very good and it would be a shame not to try something. Do you have any food allergies, Mr. Barnes?”

 

“No, none, I like pretty much everything,” he said, picking up the menu to look at the selections. Funny how some of these high-end places didn’t even list prices on their menus. It probably meant that if someone had to ask how much something was at Per Se, they probably couldn’t really afford to eat here. “So, do you have a recommendation?”

 

“It’s a tasting menu,” she said, discreetly. “There are nine courses, meant to be savored and enjoyed. Think of it as an epicurean adventure for your palate.”

 

Bucky made a face. “I don’t know what that means, Ms. Potts.”

 

She chuckled, not laughing at him, but just amused. He watched as she seemed to relax, and she let out a pleased sigh. “Oh thank goodness; I hate pretentious places like this, to be honest, and I shouldn’t let Mr. Stark make restaurant selections. Chef Keller is a master chef and his food always tastes wonderful. We’ll get a little taste of everything, and if you’re still hungry afterwards, we’ll go find a food cart.”

 

“After nine courses?”

 

Pepper gave him a look. “One of the courses fits on a spoon.”

 

“The whole course?”

 

“Yup,” she said, grinning at him.

 

“What’s something like this cost, the menu doesn’t have prices listed.”

 

“Oh, Mr. Stark is going to be paying about $15,000 for dinner tonight,” she said, blue eyes glinting with mirth. “He bought out all the tables in this section so that we’d have some privacy to talk about your new contract.”

 

Bucky looked around the restaurant and then back at her. “It’s kind of crazy, huh?”

 

“He’s looking forward to you starting your work,” she said, mildly.

 

“Do you **know** about the contract?”

 

She sipped her wine and looked over at him, a neutral expression on her face. “I’m wrote it up for him and had it vetted by the Legal Department. Yes, I know the terms of the contract. There’s very little that Mr. Starks hides from me. I think you’ll find it favorable. I included a few clauses to legally protect both of you during the duration of your employment at Stark Industries. There’s a generous severance bonus, regardless of how your employment contract ends with Mr. Stark.”

 

“Does, um, Mr. Stark do this a lot?”

 

Pepper gave him a small smile. “I’m not at liberty to say, but I can say that this is a standard non-disclosure agreement with everyone who becomes personally involved with Mr. Stark.”

 

“Because he’s rich and famous.”

 

“Yes, that’s partly the reason, and there are others.”

 

“Do **you** do this often? Negotiate for Mr. Stark, I mean, with the people who become personally involved with him?”

 

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

 

“Because there’s no real good answer?”

 

“Something like that.” She sat back and smiled. “They’re bringing out the first course. You know, the oysters and pearls is one of my favorites. Do you like caviar, Mr. Barnes?”

 

“You might as well call me Bucky,” he said, good-naturedly.

 

“Then please call me Pepper,” she said, smiling at him. “I have a feeling that we’ll see each other around quite often in the future.”

 

He wasn’t sure what to think of that; probably just her being nice to him. If Tony thought Bucky was a rentboy, then there was no doubt in his mind that Pepper believed him to be one, too.

 

The waiters brought out two large white plates, four smaller plates nestled on top of each other, with the smallest plate at the top, holding two gray lumps, a heaping spoonful of dark pebbly looking things, in a sea of yellow soup with green bits floating in it.

 

“ _Bon appetit_ ,” one of the waiters said, both moving discreetly away.

 

Bucky stared at his food and then peered over at Pepper. “This is considered a course, huh?”

 

“Tasting menu,” she said, grinning.

 

He placed the white cloth napkin on his lap and picked up his fork, dipping the tongs into the plate to spear one of the oysters. He tucked it into his mouth and chewed slowly. There were very strong flavors, some that he couldn’t even identify, and the oyster had a familiar, but still weird gooey consistency.

 

“Try the caviar,” Pepper murmured, nudging a small amount on the edges of her fork and placing it into her mouth. “ _Mmmm…”_

 

Bucky tried some, too, and nearly gagged. “Oh God, what is this?” He whispered to her, wiping his mouth with his napkin. He picked up his water glass and took two big swallows, trying to clear the taste from his mouth.

 

Pepper chuckled, her hands pressing her napkin against her mouth, blue eyes dancing with mirth. “Salt-cured fish eggs. It’s an acquired taste.”

 

“Okay, you’re going to have to warn me about everything that shows up on the plate before I put it in my mouth,” he said, giving her a look.

 

“Of course,” she said, chuckling softly. She looked at his plate with something like longing. “Are you going to eat that?”

 

He pushed his plate towards her and smiled. “You know, I think I’d like to have a little bit of wine with dinner. Would you choose something that you like?”

 

She smiled at him. “I can see why Mr. Stark likes you.”

 

***

 

Pepper took the time to go over the three-page contract with him while they nibbled on expensive chocolates and finished off a $900 bottle of _Sao Joao Porta dos Cavaleiros_. He asked her questions, not understanding some of the nuances of the contract, and listened as Pepper gave a thorough explanation. The severance bonus was extremely generous; Bucky wouldn’t ever need to worry about money again for a long, long time.

 

“Mr. Stark is very generous. He may be a lot of things, things you’ve probably heard or read on the news or tabloids, but he doesn’t renege on his promises and he doesn’t breach his contracts,” she said, seriously. “Do you find the terms of the contract fair? Do you have any other questions?”

 

“It seems pretty straightforward,” he said, taking a deep breath. “So I just sign?”

 

“Both parties can terminate the terms of this contract at any time for any reason, without consequences. The severance bonus will be paid out from our Legal Department within 48-hours of termination,” she told him, cocking her head. “Mr. Stark wanted you to know this explicitly.”

 

He nodded, biting his lower lip. “Okay. So when he gets tired of me, I get paid out to disappear quietly out of his life.”

 

That sounded a little bitter to his ears; he hoped Pepper hadn’t picked up on it.

 

“Bucky, there is nothing stopping you from running to the tabloids,” she said, looking at him. “Mr. Stark wouldn’t take legal action against you. But he would like your word that you’d keep things private between the two of you, even after things should end.”

 

“Like I told him, I’m not going to blab to the press about this,” he said, making a face. “I got a lot to lose, too, if this ever came out.”

 

“Then if everything is in order, please sign the contract,” she said, reaching into her brief bag to hand him a sleek pen. She also pulled out a thick and wide sealed envelope with his name written in a bold hand.

 

Bucky signed the contract and sat back against the seat, feeling his heart hammering in his chest.

 

“Signing bonus from Mr. Stark,” she said, sliding the envelope to him. “Inside, you’ll also find the key card to the North elevator. That one will give you access to Mr. Stark’s penthouse in Stark Tower.”

 

“Wow,” he said, taking the envelope and putting it inside of his backpack. “Thank you.”

 

“You’re very welcome,” she said, tucking the contract and pen back into her brief bag.

 

“No, I mean, thanks for, you know, treating me like…”

 

Pepper smiled. “Like you’re a special consultant to Stark Industries?”

 

Bucky huffed out a laugh, nodding. “Yeah…yeah, all right, Pepper.”


	5. First Friday Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Sexytimes.

It was the first time Bucky had ever lied to Steve.

 

Okay, that probably wasn’t true, there was probably some stupid juvenile lying when they were kids. Not telling Steve about the contract, Steve would call that a lie of omission; but lying to Steve’s face with full intent to deceive and misdirect, then it was the first time Bucky had ever **lied** to Steve.

 

“Hey, Stevie, I got a schedule change doing the overnight at the Hamilton Building. Tuesday nights and Friday nights now,” he said, rolling up the sleeves of his janitorial work shirt, the key card to Stark Tower safe in his wallet. “See you in the morning, huh?”

 

_“So I heard from Pepper that you two had a nice dinner,” Tony said, his deep voice full of good-natured amusement._

_“Jealous?” Bucky said, chuckling, phone against his ear as he walked through the main lobby of the Jacobs Building. “Hey, would you say hello to her for me?”_

_“All right, kiddo,” Tony said, pleased. “It’s a good thing you passed with flying colors. Pep doesn’t normally like anyone I try to bring up to the house.”_

_Bucky froze, making a face. “If there’s something between you and Pepper—“_

_Tony laughed loudly into his ear. “She’s one of my best friends, Buck-a-boo, so it’s not like what you’re thinking. Pepper’s protective of me; I haven’t had such a great track record so I can see her point of view. Anyway, come by Friday night. Don’t bother bringing anything; I’ll have everything you need here.”_

_“Seven sharp, I’ll be there,” he said, excitedly, Tony’s warm laugh echoing, even after the call disconnected._

 

Steve smiled at him, looking up from his textbook. “All right, Buck, have a good night.”

 

He took the subway into Manhattan and took his time, smoking his cigarette outside Stark Tower. He was feeling a little nervous, kind of like the first time he got fucked, that first-time-with-someone-new anxiety. What if he wasn’t that good of a fuck for someone like Tony Stark? Would that mean that Tony wouldn’t want him around again? That his contract would get cancelled and he’d get his severance bonus as a nice _see-ya-don’t-talk-about-me-to-the-tabloids_ payout?

 

“What the fuck am I even thinking?” Bucky hissed to himself, taking a deep inhale of his cigarette. He slumped down on the park bench and scowled, thumb flicking the seam of his work pants. “What the fuck?”

 

_What the fuck? Bucky was not a goddamn sex worker! And why the fuck was he getting so worked up about a stupid piece of paper? He didn’t care about Tony Stark’s money! Fuck his money! And fuck Tony Stark, too, for paying Bucky for sex! And fuck himself for taking it!_

 

“The fuck is wrong with me?” He finished off his cigarette and crushed it out with the heel of his work boot.

 

He sighed, reaching into his work shirt pocket to pull out a box of Altoid mints, putting three into his mouth and chewing the small, intensely flavored mints.

 

 _Fuck this_. He was going up there and he was going to tell Tony Stark that Bucky Barnes was not someone that could be bought and that Tony Stark could shove his money and his contract up his goddamn ass!

 

And then he’d tuck his tail between his legs when Tony Stark showed him the door.

 

Bucky walked into Stark Tower and looked at the signs pointing to the North elevator. He pulled the key card out of his wallet and pushed the call button for the elevator. The doors opened immediately and Bucky stepped inside. It was a smaller elevator than the ones that were in the main lobby. He stared at the number pad and didn’t really know what floor the penthouse was on. There was a narrow slot at the top of the key pad and he looked at the key card in his hand.  

 

Maybe he just slid—

 

“Good evening, Mr. Barnes.”

 

“Shit!” Bucky jumped, looking around the empty elevator. “What the hell? Who’s that?”

 

“My apologies, Mr. Barnes,” the voice said. “My name is JARVIS. Welcome to Stark Tower.”

 

“Okay, um, Mr. JARVIS. I’m a guest of Mr. Stark? He gave me a key card but I’m not sure what floor I should go to.”

 

“If you would insert the key card into the card slot, the key has already been coded with the access level to the penthouse,” JARVIS said, helpfully.

 

“Thanks, pal,” Bucky said, looking up at the ceiling of the elevator, wondering where the camera was to the security guard monitoring the private elevator. Bucky gave a salute as the elevator began its climb.

 

Bucky leaned against the elevator wall, staring at his reflection in the mirrored panels that lined the interior of the elevator. He smoothed down his hair with his hand, trying to get the little duck tail curl on the side of his head to stay down.

 

He was just going to tell Tony Stark that this was all a misunderstanding. Bucky would explain that Tony didn’t need to pay him for sex; Bucky was ready and willing. He’d do it for free.

 

Bucky made a face; not that sounded any better.

 

But Tony had said that he wasn’t looking for a relationship and he wasn’t into one-night stands anymore. He wanted someone convenient, someone who was his on-demand fuck.

 

“Shit,” Bucky whispered, taking a deep breath and shaking his head.

 

Because the truth was that Bucky **liked** Tony; he wanted to get to know him and spend time with him. And it sounded like Tony was willing. He wanted Bucky to stay overnight. How much fucking could they possibly do? At some point, they were probably going to get tired of fucking and talk about shit.

 

If he came clean now, Tony would probably find some humor in it, but he’d void the contract and Bucky probably wouldn’t ever see Tony again unless it was on TV or in the papers.

 

“Mr. Stark is waiting for you in the kitchen,” JARVIS murmured, as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened into a modern glass-and-steel room.

 

“Thanks, JARVIS,” Bucky said, stepping out slowly and looking around. “Damn…”

 

Bucky vaguely remembered that _MTV Cribs: The Billionaire Edition_ once did a special on Tony Stark’s house on the cliffs somewhere in California. If the cliff side mansion epitomized laidback west coast luxury, then the Stark Tower penthouse was a monument to east coast power. And Bucky was appropriately intimidated. He shivered, feeling his stomach dip low into his belly, goosebumps crawling up his arms. He shoved his hands into his work pants pockets and let out a low whistle to distract him from turning right around and running back into the elevator.

 

It was one thing to know that Tony Stark was a rich mook; it was another to step inside that kind of wealth. Bucky knew that there was a huge difference between them in terms of money, but he hadn’t had the imagination to actually know what that difference felt like until now.

 

The penthouse seemed to take up the entire floor of the building, and it was definitely the kind of space that a tech billionaire genius would live in; Bucky couldn’t believe the views from this high up of the New York City skyline. He saw several large thin glass panels that made up some kind of media unit, seemingly floating in the middle of the room, each screen showing some kind of news or documentary broadcast but with the volume muted. It looked like some kind of high-tech holographic screen; the engineer in Bucky wouldn’t mind getting a better look at Tony’s tech. It wasn’t in Bucky’s field, but Bucky liked knowing how parts fit together.

 

“To your right, Mr. Barnes.”

 

Bucky jumped again and looked around the room. “Dude, are you seriously spying on Mr. Stark 24/7?”

 

“JARVIS isn’t a spy,” Tony said, walking towards him, drying his hands on a kitchen towel. “JARVIS is my AI; he pretty much runs the whole tower.”

 

Bucky blinked, staring at Tony. He was dressed in jeans and wore an old vintage tee-shirt with ROBOCOP spelled out, the white letters fading from multiple washings. His dark hair was artfully disheveled and his feet were bare, almost vulnerable looking.

 

He was so used to seeing Tony in nothing but suits or tuxedos that it was disarming to see Tony so dressed down and relaxed in his home.

 

Tony smiled at him. “Did you have dinner yet?”

 

“Did you cook?”

 

“Are you kidding? I ordered us food; Pepper said that you were a meat and potatoes kind of guy, so that’s what I got us. Come on, I’ll give you the tour of the place later,” Tony said, winking at him and heading back into the hallway.

 

Bucky followed, looking at everything he could see. Fancy abstract artwork of all sizes hung on the walls, discreetly lit with a small overhead light. Steve would’ve loved to know about the art (even though he’d protest against having a private collection because “art belonged to the people, Buck, and should be in a museum”), but Bucky didn’t stand long enough in front of each painting to get the artist’s name. There were some modern sculptures, more glass panels on the walls, and black marble flooring everywhere. It was clean of clutter, but there wasn’t any personal touches either – no pictures of Tony Stark’s family or friends. The whole place looked like a museum, carefully staged, and didn’t really describe the man who lived there.

 

“Hope you don’t mind? I didn’t feel like formal dining,” Tony said, walking to a slab of some kind of thick blue-gray stone covered in dark glass that served as the table in the kitchen that could probably seat eight people. Bucky wondered what “formal” dining was in Tony Stark’s world, a long table to seat 200 with Tony at the head of it.

 

There were two plates already piled with food, and Bucky took a deep breath to enjoy the smell of a masterfully cooked steak.

 

“Nah, this is fine,” Bucky said, looking around the professional chef’s kitchen. The appliances still looked shiny and new, the only real thing in the kitchen that looked like got much use was the weird, complex looking coffee maker. At least, that’s what Bucky thought it was. “So JARVIS is an AI, like a super smart computer, right?”

 

“More like a super smart self-learning natural language user interface computer system,” Tony said, pulling out a chair for Bucky and waving him to sit down. “He’s connected into everything. JARVIS could take over the world if he wanted.”

 

“Unfortunately, keeping you out of trouble takes up 98.425% of my time, Sir,” JARVIS said in an aggrieved tone.

 

Bucky laughed, looking at Tony. “He’s self-learning so he developed his own personality or did you program him that way?”

 

Tony glanced at him and smiled. “That’s a pretty good approximation. I might have written JARVIS’s base code, but he’s become his own ‘being’ over time.”

 

He grinned and looked at his plate, a thick T-bone steak with a potato with the works, a side salad, and extra sour cream and bacon bits in little side bowls. There were two wine glasses and a bottle of the same red wine that Bucky had shared with Pepper at the restaurant.

 

“Everything smells pretty amazing, Tony,” he said, looking at him. “Thank you.”

 

“Pep said that you liked Portuguese red,” Tony said, pouring him a generous glassful. “Go ahead, start, we don’t stand on ceremony here.”

 

“She picked it out and I liked it, sure,” he said, cutting into the steak. The knife slipped through the meat like butter. _Damn,_ Bucky hadn’t eaten so well in…ever. He took his first bite of the steak and moaned at the perfect flavor, the perfect texture, the perfect heat. He was sure that he’d never taste anything so good again in his lifetime. “Jesus…this is good.”

 

“I’ll send your compliments to Chef Thomas,” Tony said, grinning as he cut into his own steak.

 

“Is he your private chef?”

 

“Hardly. Chef Thomas owns _Per Se_.”

 

“And he came and cooked this dinner?” Bucky said, astonished. “Tony, you didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”

 

Tony smirked, raising his eyebrow. “Why not? It wasn’t any trouble for me. Trust me, you don’t want to eat what I can make.”

 

Bucky was tempted to protest, but he decided it wasn’t worth it. He was getting a fantastic steak dinner; and if this was the last meal he’d ever share with Tony, well…Bucky wasn’t a stupid man; he’d savor every single bite of it.

 

He sipped his wine, letting the robust taste fill his senses, blending with the flavors of the steak. “Thanks for dinner the other night. I’ve never been to any place like that before; didn’t even know what a tasting menu was until Pepper explained it to me.”

 

“Did you like it?”

 

“Some of it was interesting. I guess I don’t have the kind of taste buds that could appreciate food like that,” he said, shrugging. He didn’t feel like he had to lie; and besides, if Pepper recommended the steak and potatoes, there was a good chance that she told Tony what happened during dinner. “It was a good experience, but not something that I’m interested in doing again, you know?”

 

“Honestly, I hate pretentious shit like that,” Tony said, chuckling.

 

“Then why did you send me there? I would’ve been fine if you sent us to _Burger King_ or something.”

 

“Pepper has an addiction to the BK vanilla shake. She would’ve killed me if I put her on that path,” he said, grinning. “Maybe I was just trying to impress you.”

 

Bucky snorted and rolled his eyes. “Right. Because just being Tony Stark isn’t enough?”

 

Tony didn’t say anything and they ate in companionable silence, neither feeling the need to fill the silences with chit chat. Bucky began an attack on his potato and pointed back at the living room with his fork.

 

“Your TV screens,” he said, meeting Tony’s eyes. “I’ve not seen that kind of technology on the market yet. Is it something you’re developing?”

 

“Something I tinkered with in my workshop, but it has a lot of promise,” Tony said, putting more sour cream on his potato. “It’s probably about five years away from being released to the commercial market though. I have to find a way to decrease the unit cost. Right now, if I let them go on the market, retail would be around $38,000 per unit.”

 

Bucky whistled, raising his eyebrows. “Still, you’ll probably find enough people to buy them.”

 

“Sure, I could release the technology now, make a little money on the front end, but the technology it’s based on is shaky and I don’t want to release this tech yet. Too many of my competitors would love to reverse engineer it and profit from it. In a few years, I’ll have found a way to make the unit cost less than $500 each. It’ll still be considered high end, but more affordable than letting it go to market now.” Tony sipped his wine and gave Bucky a side glance. “Besides, I haven’t figured out what to call it yet.”

 

“Stark Television?”

 

“Boring. Next!”

 

“Stark Vision.”

 

Tony made a face. “I’m pretty sure I already have a product out on the market that’s called Stark Vision.”

 

“HoloStark.”

 

“It’s a good thing you’re not part of my Marketing Department,” he said, smirking at Bucky.

 

“Well, in five years, I’ll be first in line at _Best Buy_ to buy my own…whatever it’ll be called. The newest Stark Something.”

 

“You’re studying biomedical engineering, right? What’s your field of study?”

 

“Yeah; I’m going to specialize in building better prosthetics.”

 

Tony looked at him. “Like how?”

 

“I know this is going to sound science fiction, but I believe that the next stage of medical advancement – human advancement, really – is being able to fully integrate prosthesis to the human brain,” Bucky said, leaning forward in his chair. “Let’s say that I lost my arm because I landed on an IED or in a car accident or in a factory accident. _Bam!_ One day, I have a limb, the next day I don’t. The current prosthetics out there, I mean don’t get me wrong, we’ve come a long way since the days of having a hook at the end of a piece of hard plastic, but it’s still kind of stuck in the dark ages compared to the advancements in other areas of medicine. There’s just not the same kind of interest or funding. But it’s just the beginning of the possibilities of connecting human tissue and nerve pathways to machines. And mapping the human nervous system to the electrical pulses of a prosthetic – being able to control that new arm or leg, like the way that we can control everything else without even thinking about it, that’s the next step to evolution.”

 

Tony stared at him, his whole attention focused on Bucky. He grinned, eyes crinkling at the edges. “You’re amazing.”

 

Bucky laughed, flushing from the compliment.

 

“And you know, I feel like I’ve heard this pitch before,” he said, tapping his fingers against the table, cocking his head as he stared at Bucky. “Why have I heard this before? Have you presented your research somewhere? At a tech conference or something?”

 

“No. Not yet, I mean, I still have to get through my classes and my thesis work; probably have to get a PhD in the field before anyone takes me seriously. I, uh, may have applied for a Stark Industries scholarship a couple of years ago,” he said, shrugging. “Do you really read every application that comes in for a SI scholarship?”

 

Tony nodded. “Yeah. No, well, _read every_ is kind of a misnomer. The scholarship committee uploads everyone’s applications to a database and JARVIS runs a complex filtering system that narrows down the candidates to the top 100. And then that’s when I read all of the applications.”

 

“Wow—“

 

“JARVIS, go through the past SI scholarship database and find the one that Bucky submitted. What did we rank him?”

 

Tony tapped on the glass surface of the table, opening a new holographic window. Bucky opened his mouth, watching as digitized files moved swiftly across the screen.

 

“That is so fucking cool,” Bucky said, eyes widening. “Seriously, your tech is the best in the world.”

 

“It is, isn’t it?” Tony said, grinning over at him. “A-ha! There it is. James B. Barnes. Open that, JARVIS.”

 

“Mr. Barnes submitted his application in 2014 and was ranked at number 15,” JARVIS said.

 

Bucky blinked, his mouth opening. “Wow…really? Fifteen?”

 

“Sorry, kiddo, you made an impression if I can still remember that after two years.”

 

“I never really thought I had much of a chance,” he said, smiling widely. “The top ten candidates end up being future Nobel Prize winners, you know.”

 

“Still could be you,” Tony said, gazing at him. “You shouldn’t give up; all it takes is one good idea to build an empire.”

 

Bucky chewed his steak slowly, smiling at him.

 

 _Fuck’s sake_ , Bucky really **liked** Tony Stark.

 

***

 

Bucky leaned his shoulder against the glass window, looking down at the city below. It was an amazing view, one that Bucky wasn’t going to forget any time soon.

 

Tony was settled on the wide leather sectional, tapping away on his tablet. Bucky sipped at his wine, smiling out at the city. What was that Jay-Z song about New York? _Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there’s nothin’ you can’t do, now you’re in New York, these streets will make you feel brand new, the lights will inspire you—_

 

“Penny for your thoughts?”

 

Bucky turned and let out a soft laugh. “Just thinking about how weird it is to be up here.” He tapped on the glass. “Bet I can locate my place in Brooklyn from here if I squint hard enough.”

 

Tony leaned back into the leather, hands propped against his thighs. “Why don’t you come over here, Bucky?”

 

His tone was deep and alluring, eyes heavy lidded, a small smile on his lips. He flicked his eyes up and down over Bucky; and Bucky swallowed the rest of his wine, setting the glass on a nearby glass table. He walked across the room to stand in front of Tony, hands open and held out at his sides.

 

“I want to see you,” Tony said, looking up at him. “Take off your clothes.”

 

“Like…a strip show?” Bucky made a face; he had some good moves, sure, lots of nice hip action, but he felt kind of stupid, dancing around to take off his clothes.

 

Tony chuckled, meeting Bucky’s eyes with a sort of surprised glee. “If you feel up for it, sure. I can have JARVIS put on some appropriate music for you.”

 

“Nah, I don’t have my routine down; I might trip and break one of your expensive glass computer tables or something,” Bucky said, giving Tony a wide smile.

 

Bucky reached up to unbutton his work shirt, pulling the snap buttons open and pulling the shirt tails from his pants. He shrugged it off and tossed it gently on the end of the sectional. He watched Tony as he looked at Bucky, dark brown eyes greedy, a furtive lick of his lips as Bucky tugged the white tee-shirt up, skinning out of the shirt, tossing it on top of the work shirt.

 

He bent over and untied the laces to his work boots, kicking out of them quickly, as his hands went to the black belt, unbuckling it. Tony’s eyes followed his movements, sliding up Bucky’s toned belly, up to his pecs, and to his shoulders and arms.

 

It was weird as hell to be on display like this and Bucky was feeling a bit shy, but turned on, because Tony was getting turned on. He watched as Tony’s hand slid across his thigh, cupping his groin. Bucky undid his pants and pulled down the zipper.

 

“You like what you see?”

 

“Yes,” Tony said, softly. “Show me more.”

 

Bucky chuckled as he thrust out his ass playfully and shook it a little as he let his work pants drop to his socked feet. Tony grinned, letting out a low, throaty sound of amusement and approval. It was so stupid, but Bucky sucked it up and told himself to be confident, and slipped his thumbs into the waistband of his boxer briefs, pulling it down slowly, showing his hipbones. He tugged the elastic band over his semi-hard cock, teasing both him and Tony, seeing the way Tony’s eyes were focused on Bucky’s cock.

 

He sighed as he revealed his cock to Tony, shoving the shorts and pants off his legs and stepping out of them. He picked them up and shook them out, tossing them with his shirts. He reached back and pulled off his black socks – there really wasn’t a sexy way to take off socks so Bucky went with practical instead of seductive.

 

“Well, here I am,” Bucky said, cocking his hip and standing in his nude glory for Tony to see.

 

“Turn around and bend over,” Tony murmured, scooting to the edge of the leather cushion, as Bucky turned and bent at the waist.

 

“Ohmygod,” Bucky whispered, gasping at the feel of Tony’s warm breath, the scratch from his facial hair, and his tongue tracing the rim of his asshole. “Tony!”

 

He wasn’t expecting that. He was expecting to just bend over and let Tony fuck him. He wasn’t expecting Tony’s attention, not like this, not like Tony wanted Bucky to be the one to feel so good. Tony’s strong hands gripped Bucky’s hips, holding him still, and they both felt Bucky’s thighs tremble as Tony licked him slowly, over and over his sensitive rim, slicking him up, nice and wet.

 

“Stand up,” Tony said, helping him turn around. Bucky looked down at him, slightly dazed from the blood rush and from being rimmed, his legs feeling unstable, as Tony leaned his head back to look up at him. “I just want a taste.”

 

Bucky hissed out a pleased moan at the feel of Tony’s hot, wet mouth curling around the head of his cock. If he wasn’t hard before, then he certainly was now. He wanted to drag his hands through Tony’s dark hair, let his fingers curl and tug on them, pull Tony’s mouth further down on his cock.

 

“Tony,” he mumbled, whimpering softly.

 

“Come here, straddle me,” Tony said, gently pulling Bucky towards him, helping him as he put his knees on either side of Tony’s legs, the fabric of his jeans soft against Bucky’s inner knees. Tony gave him a predatory grin as he fell back against the back of the sectional. “I want to watch you jerk off slowly; don’t come, just tease yourself.”

 

“Yeah, okay,” Bucky said, nodding slowly as he met Tony’s eyes. They were nearly black, dilated with lust. Who knew what Bucky’s face looked like right now – cheeks heated, bangs damp against his forehead, chest blushed with a rosy pink – and he licked his lips as he reached for his cock, curling his hand around and sliding upwards to the head.

 

“Here,” Tony said, pulling out a small tube of lube from somewhere. He squeezed a few drops into Bucky’s palm and sat back, keeping his hands on Bucky’s thighs, stroking his skin with his thumbs. “Show me how you like to tease yourself.”

 

It was only fair, Bucky decided, when every encounter between them had Tony reveal his pleasure to Bucky. So Bucky slid his wet palm up and down the length of his cock, licking his lips as he let out a long breath. He rubbed the flat of his hand over the head, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back. He moaned when he curled his hand just under the head, tightening his grip to feel the pulse of pleasure flow through him in sharp bursts.

 

He reached out and gripped the back of the sectional with his other hand, adding a few hip thrusts with each stroke, taking his time. He bent over Tony and looked down at him, feeling Tony’s fingers pressing deeper into his thighs, brown eyes looking up at him.

 

“Tony,” he murmured, swallowing thickly.

 

“You’re gorgeous,” Tony told him, hands sliding up to curl over his hips to smooth over his ass. “Come here, kiss me.”

 

Bucky leaned down and pressed his lips against Tony’s mouth, letting the feel of Tony’s facial hair brush against his cheeks, and he let out a groan when he felt Tony’s fingers pull his ass cheeks apart, fingertips brushing over his rim.

 

“Fuck,” Bucky hissed against Tony’s lips, taking the kiss to the next level. He sucked on Tony’s top lip, then on the bottom one, and then slipped his tongue into Tony’s mouth. Bucky groaned when he felt the tip of one finger press gently but firmly inside of him. “Tony, please…”

 

“Don’t stop,” Tony said, throatily. “But don’t come until I say you can.”

 

Bucky started stroking his cock again as shivers of pleasure worked its way down his back, thighs trembling from the effort of staying on his knees when he just wanted to sink down against Tony, wanting Tony to push his finger deeper inside.

 

Tony reached up with his other hand and grabbed a handful of Bucky’s hair, tugging his head back sharply. Bucky closed his eyes and whimpered, mouth opening when he felt Tony’s lips stroke the length of his taut neck, the barest hint of teeth catching against his damp skin.

 

“Fucking gorgeous,” Tony said, his grip tightening in his hair. “I want to see you lose control, just for me. Put on a good show and I’ll let you come when I fuck you.”

 

He gave a sharp thrust of his finger and Bucky groaned, opening his eyes to stare up at the high ceiling above, gritting his teeth and counting the goddamn steel cross beams to keep from coming without Tony’s permission. He swallowed and then swallowed again, his cock so hard in his hand, pre-come pooling out of the slit. He rubbed his thumb over the slit and shuddered, his legs buckling slightly. He closed his eyes, not too proud to beg.

 

“Please—“

 

“Yeah, Bucky, you want to come, don’t you? Want to come with my finger inside of you,” Tony slid in even deeper, pressing hard against Bucky’s prostate.

 

Bucky bit his lip and squeezed his cock, holding himself back, as his body shook. “Please, Tony…”

 

He made an embarrassing whine when Tony slipped his finger free.

 

“Put both of your hands on the sectional,” he told him, picking up more lube and covering his fingers. “Don’t let go.”

 

Bucky nodded, his hands on the back of the couch, fingers digging into the thick leather.

 

“I’ll take good care of you.”

 

“I want you,” Bucky said, meeting Tony’s steady gaze.

 

Tony grinned, eyes bright with desire as he leaned his head back to stare up at Bucky’s face, one hand slipping behind Bucky as two fingers pressed into his ass slowly, the other hand curling around Bucky’s cock, stroking him slowly.

 

“Fuck me,” he said, biting his bottom lip. “Tony, fuck me—“

 

“Jesus,” Tony hissed, pulling his hands off of Bucky. He undid his jeans and shoved them down off his hips. He tore open a condom foil and rolled it down, rolling his eyes back as he groaned. His hands moved to Bucky’s hips and he pulled Bucky down against him, reaching down to hold his cock steady, pulling Bucky closer. “Ride me.”

 

To say that Bucky was desperate for it was really under selling it. Bucky held on to the back of the sectional and rode Tony hard, undulating his hips in a perfect rhythm, grunting harshly as he drove his hips back and down, grinding down against Tony’s cock. It had been awhile since he’d been fucked and he was horny and needy.

 

He panted, throwing his head back as Tony’s hands gripped the back of his thighs to pull him down harder onto his cock.

 

“So fucking sexy,” Tony croaked, looking up at him. “Wanted to fuck you the first time I saw you.”

 

“Yeah,” Bucky said, dropping his head to look down at Tony. He wanted to touch him, he wanted to kiss him, he wanted to curl his fingers into Tony’s hair and hold him still, look into his eyes, see him break from pleasure.

 

“Faster, baby, faster,” Tony urged, thrusting his cock into Bucky, fingers gripping his hip bones and jerking Bucky down onto him.

 

Bucky’s cock slapped against his belly, he was so hard that every little sensation was running through him like fire, keeping him on the edge, the need in his unquenchable.

 

“Please!” He whined, squeezing his eyes shut. “Please, touch me! Touch me, goddamn it!”

 

He felt Tony’s hand curl around the head, wet palm hot against the sensitive glands, tightening his grip as Bucky fucked into his hand. He dropped his head down and opened his eyes to see Tony staring up at him, eyes narrowed, mouth slightly parted, both of them panting noisily.

 

“Want to feel you come inside me,” Bucky whispered, meeting Tony’s gaze. “Know what you taste like when you come…wanted to feel you come inside…me…ohmygod…I’m so close…Tony—“

 

“Fuck—“ Tony cried out, jerking his hips up against Bucky and holding him in the air, his body stiff and then wracked with hard shudders.

 

“Yes,” Bucky whined, letting go of the couch to sink his fingers into Tony’s hair, tugging his head back so he could reach for Tony’s mouth with his own, eating him up. He moaned against Tony’s mouth, feeling his cock spurt, come covering Tony’s hand, dropping onto his black ROBOCOP shirt. “God…Tony…”

 

Tony chuckled, letting go of Bucky’s cock with a gentle squeeze, sinking back against the leather. “Jesus, you fuck like a dream.”

 

Bucky tried to catch his breath and let go of Tony’s hair, gripping his shoulders instead as he tried to hold up his weight. He closed his eyes and pressed his face into Tony’s sweat-damp hair, giving in to the last shudders of pleasure moving in waves through his body. Tony’s hands smoothed over his hips to curl over his ass, fingers gently circling his rim, semi-hard cock still keeping him open.

 

He wasn’t going to give this up; not yet. There was a part of him that felt guilty for not telling Tony the truth, but he desperately wanted Tony to like him, and he felt stupid for being so needy.

 

“Penny for your thoughts?”

 

Bucky grinned, moving up to meet Tony’s frank look. “My legs are shaking.”

 

Tony chuckled, content in his pleasure. “Well, let me give you a hand.”

 

Bucky made a face as he slowly pulled off of Tony’s cock, both of them crashed along the length of the couch. Leather wasn’t good for body sweat, lube and come, but Tony didn’t seem to care. Bucky crashed on his back with Tony propped on his side, head cupped against his hand. He patted Bucky’s belly playfully.

 

“We should get up and take a shower,” Tony said, smiling at him. “I’m going to want to fuck you again, but in my bed this time. And maybe one more in the morning before you leave.”

 

Bucky caught his breath and barked out a laugh, looking up at Tony. “Okay, just give me a minute and I’ll be up for anything you want.”

 

Tony leaned down and kissed him, sweet and soft like they were lovers. He pulled away, a dark look in his eyes. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, sweetheart.”

 

“I’m pretty sure I can keep up with the likes of you,” Bucky said, rolling his eyes.

 

“ _Mmmm_ …I’m going to have so much fun with you,” Tony murmured, his tone seductive and playful and full of dirty promise.

 

Bucky met Tony’s eyes. “Yes.”


	6. No More Deals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Final chapter! I'm happy that this first story is done, which allows me to work on the next set of stories, following the adventures of Bucky, Tony, and Steve.

**FOUR MONTHS LATER**

 

Bucky spent the last sixteen weeks acting like a mook in one of those Hollywood spy movies.

 

He set up a new direct deposit bank account for his Stark Industries “consulting” job. Every week, he had to withdraw a few hundred dollars and deposit it into the account that he shared with Steve, to make it look like he was getting his pay from his part-time jobs. He kept up the pretense of going to his non-existent jobs, leaving the apartment or coming in at his “usual” time, making up humorous stories to tell Steve.

 

It was a fucking wonder that Steve didn’t catch on. Bucky was certain that Steve would find out, but he never did. He trusted Bucky and didn’t suspect a single thing, and Bucky felt incredibly guilty every time he lied to Steve’s face. His best friend had no idea that Bucky was a liar; Steve was completely clueless to Bucky’s shenanigans and it made Bucky wonder just what kind of a friend or person he truly was, that he could deceive Steve so well.

 

There were so many times when Bucky wanted to come clean to Steve, to tell him the truth, and to have someone he could talk to about his non-relationship with Tony.

 

The sixteen weeks with Tony Stark weren’t all bliss and orgasms either. Sometimes, Tony was a moody, uncommunicative asshole who ignored Bucky for hours while he worked in his private workshop and then he would demand quick, clinical sex with Bucky before sending him away.

 

_Meet me by entrance B at the Tower,_ Tony texted.

 

_We going on a date or something?_ Bucky typed back.

 

_That’s cute, honey._ Tony sent. _Be here in 30 minutes._

 

Sometimes, Tony didn’t even want Bucky at his Tower penthouse. Sometimes, he met Tony at his private suite at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel where he’d lay Bucky out on thousand dollar sheets and run his hands up and down Bucky’s chest, a sleepy-eyed lustful look in Tony’s brown eyes. Other times, he preferred to ride around the city in the back of the limo, Tony fucking him on his hands and knees on the carpeted limo floor. It always felt impersonal, like Tony was trying to put distance between them, but Bucky didn’t understand the shifts in Tony’s moods. Sometimes, Tony just wanted a quick blowjob and then would hand him a few bills and drop him off at the nearest subway. Bucky stood on the sidewalk, holding the cash in his fist, as he watched the limo pull away.

 

And every Friday, there was another $3,000 deposited to his new bank account.

 

Bucky wasn’t a sex worker, but there were times when he felt like a cheap whore.

 

Then, he had to go find somewhere to crash for the night; it wasn’t like he could go back to his apartment. Steve would want to know why Bucky was home early from his overnight janitorial job.

 

But most times, Tony Stark was a lot of fun. He was challenging and whip smart, sharp tongued and quick witted. Bucky kept up with him and didn’t put up with Tony’s bullshit.

 

_“Look, if you’re going to ignore me, I’m just gonna leave, all right? What’s the point of having me over if you don’t give a shit that I’m here?”_

_Tony smirked. “Feeling neglected, Buckaroo?”_

_“You know what, fuck you, Tony; I got better things to do than put up with this,” Bucky said, picking up his work boots by the shoe strings and walking to the elevator. “JARVIS, elevator, please.”_

_“Hey, hold up,” Tony said, following him. “JARVIS, hold that elevator!”_

_Bucky narrowed his eyes and turned, meeting Tony’s steady gaze. “Oh, what, you want my attention now?”_

_“I like that you’re here,” Tony said, smiling at him. “I like that you’re in my space. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, but I’d like it if you stayed.”_

_“So you can ignore me for the whole night and then fuck me before you kick me out,” he said, rolling his eyes._

_“Yeah, of course I want to fuck you; but I also just like knowing that you’re here. Okay?” Tony cajoled, stepping closer and taking Bucky’s boots from his hand. He tossed the shoes to the side of the hallway and smiled, stroking his hands up Bucky’s chest and over his shoulders. “Yeah?” He chuckled, pressing a kiss to Bucky’s pinched mouth. “Come on, Bucky, you have my full attention now. Come on, sweetheart, kiss me. Let’s go to my bedroom.”_

_Bucky wanted to stay annoyed at Tony, but he couldn’t hold a grudge, he wasn’t really the type. He wrapped his arms around Tony and kissed him, slow and easy, pressing against Tony’s groin to feel him getting hard against Bucky’s hip._

_“Have you thought about my latest offer?”_

_Bucky licked Tony’s bottom lip. “You know I can’t move into the Tower. What would I tell Steve?”_

_“Bring him with you,” Tony said, his hands sliding down to grip Bucky’s ass. “There’s plenty of room. It’s closer to campus. And I’ll set you both up with your own floor. Then you wouldn’t have to sneak around.”_

_“That would be convenient for you,” he said, kissing down Tony’s lean neck._

_“Convenient for both of us, honey,” Tony said, grabbing the back of Bucky’s neck and pulling him down for a long kiss._

 

“Tony, please,” Bucky gasped, hands fisting the expensive bedsheets of the Waldorf-Astoria. He tried to arch and slide his hips back, urging Tony to keep fucking him. “Why’d you stop? Please, Tony, so close!”

 

Tony chuckled, leaning down over Bucky’s broad back, kissing the back of his neck. “I like it when you’re like this, desperate and pleading for me.”

 

He’d been kept on edge for what felt like hours; a long night of sensual teasing by a master. Bucky groaned his frustration wetly against the sheets and bucked under Tony’s weight, taking a deep breath as he clenched his muscles a dozen times around Tony’s hard cock.

 

There was a sense of triumph in hearing Tony moan against his ear, Tony’s body shuddering in reaction to Bucky.

 

“Such a naughty boy,” Tony slurred, hands gripping Bucky’s shoulders as he levered himself back up on his knees. Bucky closed his eyes when he felt Tony move his hips back, cock pulling so slowly out of his hole that Bucky felt every inch of it. They both let out loud groans when Tony snapped his hips forward, thrusting his cock inside Bucky. “Naughty boys don’t get to come yet.”

 

Bucky pressed his face into the mattress and let out a muffled roar of frustration. Tony laughed lowly and undulated against Bucky, grinding his cock inside of him, and Bucky trembled at the teasing sensation.

 

His cock was a hot, hard length under him, expertly bound so that he couldn’t rub one off against the sheets while Tony took his goddamn time fucking him. All it did was made him harder and more frustrated, keeping him right on that knife’s edge of pleasure and pain, exactly where Tony wanted him to stay until he chose when Bucky could come.

 

“Please,” Bucky whispered, turning his head to the side. “Please, Tony, it’s too much.”

 

“I’m not hearing a safeword, honey,” Tony said, teasingly. “Want me to let you up? Want me to pull out and stop? You know what to say.”

 

“Bastard,” Bucky hissed at him, not really meaning it.

 

“Still not your safeword,” Tony said, cheerfully, as he let go of Bucky’s shoulders to slip his fingers into the groove of Bucky’s hips, jerking him up so that Bucky had to scramble to hold his weight up on his wide spread knees.

 

“This is so unfair,” he murmured, tugging at the sheets so that it pulled off of one corner. It was even worse from this position because there was no friction now, no place for Bucky to rub his drooling cock.

 

Tony chuckled. “I think you like it.” He rose up on his knees, his cock sliding thickly in and out of Bucky’s ass. “I think you need it, don’t you, sweetheart?”

 

Bucky groaned and shoved the loose bedsheet into his mouth, his hand moving down the mattress towards his aching cock.

 

“If you touch yourself, I’m going to stop and send you home,” Tony warned, his voice low and full of no nonsense authority.

 

Bucky let out a huff of needy indignation.

 

“Pull the sheets out of your mouth, I want to hear you; and put your hand back on the bed where I can see it.”

 

He did as ordered and let out a deep, throaty groan. “Tony…Tony, please, my balls are going to fall off if you don’t let me come.”

 

Bucky nearly bit through his bottom lip, the shock of pleasure so intense and so lightning quick, he barely got a chance to catch his breath and process that Tony had reached around him to stroke his fingers over Bucky’s balls, checking the tightness of the rope wrapped around his balls and tied off at the base of his cock. The touch was fleeting, there and gone too quick for Bucky to fully enjoy it.

 

“Tony!” He said, breathlessly.

 

“You’ll keep for just a little longer,” Tony said, hand back on Bucky’s hip and pulling him back sharply onto his cock.

 

He kept his eyes closed and tried to give himself over to what Tony wanted; what he needed from Tony. This was utterly perfect in so many ways. He felt used but cared for; taken but protected. It messed with parts of his brain, he didn’t understand why he liked it so much, but Tony had tapped into a side of Bucky that he didn’t know existed inside of him. He liked it when Tony took control; when he told Bucky how to move, what to do, when to feel, and how to please Tony.

 

“That’s right, darling, that’s what I want,” he heard Tony murmur, cock slamming into Bucky’s ass, the pace quickening. “Just take it, just like that, just the way you need it.”

 

Bucky shuddered, the muscles in his shoulders and back loosening even as his thighs trembled.

 

“Am I a good boy now?”

 

“Yes, such a good boy,” Tony said, hands holding Bucky tighter. “Such a good boy… _oh fuck_ …oh fuck, baby…”

 

Bucky let out a moan as he felt Tony come, thrusting into him roughly until he pressed deep inside of him, feeling his cock jerk as Bucky clenched his muscles around him again and again, milking Tony out of his pleasure.

 

Tony sat back on his heels, breathing harshly, and he let out a soft laugh, a hand trailing down from the back of Bucky’s neck, down the length of his back, to press a gentle thumb against his rim as Tony pulled his cock from Bucky slowly.

 

“Let’s take care of you now,” Tony said, turning Bucky on his back and making quick work of the rope that had kept Bucky from coming. Bucky looked up at him, licking his lips, as Tony gave him a smoldering look – dark, slumberous eyes, a knowing smirk on his lips – and deft hands gently massaged Bucky’s tight balls.

 

“Tony, please…”

 

Bucky wailed, arching his back when he felt Tony’s hot, wet mouth drop down over the head of his cock, sucking him deeply, tongue sliding over the tip.

 

“Fuck! Fuck yes!”

 

He looked down the length of his body to see Tony looking up at him, mouth busy with giving Bucky just what he needed.

 

A warm hand curled around Bucky’s sensitized balls and he gasped, choking on his spit as he came inside Tony’s mouth.

 

“ _Mmmmm_ …that was fun,” Tony said, cheekily, stroking Bucky’s thigh gently. He sank on his back beside Bucky with a wide grin on his face.

 

“Bastard,” Bucky said, panting noisily. “God, that was so fucking good, Tony. You—you’ve ruined me forever.”

 

Tony laughed, reaching over to put his hand on Bucky’s stomach, rubbing an affectionate circle on his sweaty skin. “Guess I’ll just have to keep you on retainer then.”

 

Bucky hid his frown as Tony got off the bed, throwing a wink at Bucky over his shoulder as he walked into the grand bathroom.

 

“Come on, lazy bones, order something for us from the menu and then come on in,” Tony called from the bathroom as the shower started.

 

“Okay,” he called, clearing his throat and sitting up on the bed. He ran his hand over his hair and down his face, his body felt heavy, and his mind was lethargic from the extended teasing and the sharp pleasure.

 

_On retainer._ Yeah. It was the best sex Bucky’s had ever had; but to Tony, he was just a paid convenience.

 

“Hey, are you going to join me in the shower, Buckaroo?”

 

Bucky sighed, taking a deep breath. “Be there in a minute! Don’t start anything without me.”

 

Tony’s deep laugh echoed in the bathroom. “After that and you want a third round? Well, come on, darling, I might be up for it with the right incentive.”

 

***

 

Bucky was feeling worn down, his ass and cock was sore but it was the kind of sore that made Bucky want to jerk off, a slow session where he could work himself up, just to enjoy the soreness again. He walked into his apartment and kicked off his work boots and headed into the living room.

 

Steve was sitting on the couch, his face drawn, eyebrows pulled down. “Morning, Buck.”

 

“You look kind of freaked out there, pal, you okay, Steve?”

 

“I feel like I should be asking you that question,” he said, looking up at Bucky. He gestured to the coffee table, their mail spread out over the usual piles of textbooks, notes, and Steve’s sketchbooks. “First, I just want to say that I’m sorry for opening your mail. I thought it was our joint account and I didn’t look carefully and I opened it by mistake.”

 

_Oh shit_ , Bucky thought, looking at the bank statements on the coffee table and then looking at Steve.

 

“Yeah, you’re probably thinking ‘ _oh shit’_ right about now,” Steve said, nodding, reading Bucky’s face. “Quit standing over there like I’m going to put the screws to you or something. Come sit down and talk to me.”

 

Bucky padded across the living room to sit down on their couch, hands shaking a little from all the lies that he told Steve.

 

Steve gave him a searching look. “Bucky, are you in trouble? You’d tell me if you were in some kind of trouble, right?”

 

“I’m not in trouble,” he said, blandly.

 

“You’re not working for the mob, are you? A gang or something?”

 

Bucky shook his head. “I wouldn’t do something like that.”

 

He watched as Steve gestured to the bank statement on the table. “Then how come you have over $48,000 in your account? I mean, you opened an account and you’ve been putting away money like this. Did you get a job and not tell me? Did you get an inheritance and not want me to know about it? I mean, if you thought that I’d get mad or jealous because you inherited money, I’m not. I wouldn’t—I wouldn’t ask you to—“

 

“No! It’s not—no, I trust you with everything I have, Steve, that’s not why…”

 

Steve took a steadying breath and then nodded. “Then why?” 

 

Bucky made a face and chewed on his bruised bottom lip.

 

“You’ve been putting money into our joint account like—like you’ve been doing since forever,” Steve said, running a hand through his dark blond hair. “I don’t get it, Buck. I mean, it’s your money and I’m not trying to make you use it on us or nothing. And I’m sorry for violating your privacy, but if I did—“

 

“No, Stevie, no! It’s not like that. You can have anything I have, you know that! You’re not just my best friend, you’re my brother, and it’s not…it’s not what you’re thinking.”

 

“Well, then I don’t know what to think with—“

 

“It’s Stark. Tony, I mean. He’s been paying me…like on contract.”

 

Steve frowned, but raised his eyebrows. “For like a contract job? What…what kind of work are you—“  

 

“For sex, Steve; Tony Stark pays me for sex. I see him three times a week, sometimes more when we have time, and I quit my other jobs so that I can spend time with him.”

 

Bucky watched as things started to connect and Steve threw a furious look at him. “Are you saying that you’ve been lying to me this whole time?”

 

“Yeah, Steve,” he said, contrite. “I’m sorry for lying to you. I just—just didn’t want to tell you what I was doing. I knew you’d be upset.”

 

“What do you think I’d be upset about, huh? All the lies you’ve told me or that you’ve been having sex with Stark for money?”

 

Bucky made a face. “The lying.”

 

Steve snorted and rolled his eyes. “You know what, I think I’m more upset over the fact that you’ve been whoring yourself and taking money from that man!”

 

“Jesus, Steve, you don’t have to say it like that!” Bucky yelled at him. “Don’t you fucking think I know that? I know I’m taking his money! Believe me, I know! I have a work contract with Stark Industries so that I get paid, just like anyone else who works for him!”

 

“You have to stop,” Steve said, quietly. He narrowed his blue eyes, giving Bucky a hard stare. “You have to end this. You can’t do this anymore. Tony Stark thinks you’re a prostitute! How are you ever going to get a job if this ever gets out?”

 

“I’m not a—okay, I know it seems like it because I get paid for having sex with him but—“

 

Steve stood up abruptly and glared at him. “ **He** thinks you are a prostitute!”

 

“Actually, the politically correct term is sex worker—“

 

“Bucky, this isn’t a joke! This is the rest of your life. What the hell is going to happen if things go bad between you two? Stark can use his influence and his power to blacklist you from ever getting a legitimate job! You’re putting your whole damn future at risk and for what? Some money that’s just peanuts to a guy like Stark!”

 

“It’s not about the money.”

 

Steve grabbed his head and took a deep breath. “Ohmygod, Bucky, if this ever gets out – Stark is the tabloid king of the world, something like this would just be another notch on his bedpost – but what the fuck are you going to tell your parents! Your sisters! It’s not worth it. You have to end things with him before things get real bad.”

 

Bucky sank into the couch. “It’s already pretty bad.”

 

“What? What happened? Is he – did he hurt you? Is he being a bully or something?”

 

“I’m in love with him.”

 

Steve sat down in the ratty armchair and stared at him. “You’re in love with him?”

 

“It’s not like I can ever tell him,” he said, barking out a laugh. “He’d just think it was part of the job or whatever.”

 

“Oh geez, Buck…”

 

“You know what’s really funny? There are some days when I think he actually likes me, too. You know, he asked me to move into the Tower so I could be closer to him. I mean, I know he meant having me close as a convenience to him. But sometimes…anyway, I told him I couldn’t leave you behind and he said that we could both move in. He’d give us our own floor and everything.”

 

Steve shook his head. “Bucky…”

 

“I wanted to say yes,” he said, shrugging morosely. “But you’re right, Tony thinks I’m his convenient good time boy. He wouldn’t have given me the time of day otherwise.”

 

“You’re not anyone’s good time boy,” Steve said, earnestly. “And if Tony Stark can only have you because he pays you, then he doesn’t know that you’re worth a hell of a lot more and he’s not worth it, Buck. He’s not worth your integrity and morality and…he’s not worth it.”

 

“Okay, I’ll…I’ll end it,” he said, his chest tightening with emotions he didn’t want to examine too closely. “The next time I see him, I’ll end it. You’re right, Steve, I can’t do this. I’m getting too emotionally invested in him and…he thinks I’m a prostitute.”

 

***

 

He promised Steve that the next time Tony texted him, he would come clean and stop what he was doing with Tony. He’d come clean and face the consequences.

 

_“What if he gets mad and decides to…to get revenge or something?” Steve said, worriedly._

_Bucky shook his head. “Tony’s not the type.”_

_“How would you know?”_

_“Maybe because I spent the last four months getting to know him?” He said, shrugging. He met Steve’s gaze and wondered why Steve had that jealous look on his face. “I just mean that Tony wouldn’t care. He doesn’t care about me. As long as I keep my trap shut afterwards…he won’t even remember my name in a few weeks.”_

 

Bucky knew he hadn’t gotten off easy with Steve. It would be a long time before Steve trusted him again, but their friendship was worth whatever crow Bucky would need to eat to make it up to Steve. But he also knew that Steve wasn’t the sort to hold something like this over his head for long, and after Steve felt like Bucky had been contrite long enough, they’d go back to how things were.

 

But Tony…Tony was hard to resist.

 

“Yes! Yes, fuck me! Please, Tony, come on, fuck me! Harder!” Bucky moaned, his arms curled behind Tony’s neck and legs wrapped around Tony’s hips, holding him close as Tony fucked him breathless on the limo floor.

 

“Jesus, you’re on fire today, sweetheart,” Tony said, chuckling against Bucky’s sweaty neck. He licked the damp skin and rubbed his goatee against the sensitive skin, making Bucky shiver and cry out. “What’s with you today? Not that I’m complaining, but my god, you’re so fucking hot—“

 

“I’m not a prostitute!”

 

Tony stopped thrusting into him and moved up to his elbows, looking down at Bucky’s face. Bucky made a face and then groaned, covering his face with his arms.

 

“I know you’re not a prostitute,” Tony said, chuckling warmly.

 

Bucky moved his arms off his face and dropped them on the floor by his head. “But—but what about the money and the sex contract and—if you know, then why…”

 

“Because I like having sex with you,” Tony said, reaching up to rub his thumb along Bucky’s cheek. “And part of me wanted to see for how long you wanted this to go on.”

 

“That night, at the bar, you thought I was a prostitute. You offered me money for a blowjob,” he said, narrowing his eyes.

 

“Sure,” he said, easily, chuckling again. “Why else would a gorgeous guy like you want with an old bastard like me?”

 

Bucky opened his mouth to say something, but anything he said would’ve sounded terrible.

 

“But when I saw you working the Stark Industries event, I thought, I’m never this lucky. And after that night, I had you checked out.”

 

Bucky shook his head, frowning. “I don’t understand.”

 

“Look, honey, when I met you, I didn’t want a relationship but you were so wonderfully willing and uncomplicated. What did I care if you got a little money out of it? It made you quit your jobs so you could focus on your studies and spend time with me, doing what we would’ve done anyway. So I hired a couple of private investigators to take a look at you, at your roommate Steve, and you both came up clean. Just a pair of good ole Brooklyn boys; good students; working a dozen jobs between you just so you could stay in your old neighborhood and pay your own way.”

 

“But if you knew…you paid me for sex,” he said, plaintively.

 

“I’m a genius, a billionaire, a philanthropist, a playboy, and I’m paranoid that people want something from me all the time,” he said, his dark eyes losing some of the familiar amusement. “But you just wanted me and my attention. You even lowballed me on how much to pay you when you could’ve asked me for ten times the amount and I still would’ve paid it.”

 

Bucky stared up at him, blinking and shaking his head.

 

“You look so confused,” Tony murmured, leaning down to kiss him, a slow kiss that felt like something more than just a fuck. He stroked his hand over Bucky’s hair and then braced himself on his elbows, moving over Bucky again. “I still want you, James; I don’t want this to end.”

 

He moaned, moving under Tony, legs curling over Tony’s thighs and pulling him in, faster, faster, deeper. “Yes, Tony…oh yes, yes, more.”

 

“I can’t get enough of you,” Tony whispered against Bucky’s mouth, licking his upper lip. “You and Steve should move into the Tower; no more secrets now. You’ve got some money saved up; and you’ll be close to me, in the city, closer to NYU and Steve’s favorite art museums.”

 

Bucky couldn’t think, too nervous or excited that Tony still wanted to see him, to keep doing this with him. It wasn’t about the money or that Tony thought Bucky was a prostitute. It could be something _more_ , something _real_.

 

He opened his eyes and looked up at Tony’s face, meeting his gaze as they both chased after their pleasure, and Bucky leaned up to kiss him, luring Tony’s tongue into his mouth, reaching between them to wrap his hand around his hard cock, stroking himself quickly.

 

“Tony,” he gasped, arching his neck and biting his lip. “Tony…Tony, god, love you…love you, baby…”

 

He didn’t know if Tony responded, but he felt Tony tremble over him, shaking like he had a fever, his face pressed against Bucky’s shoulder, teeth biting down sharply on the muscle.

 

***

 

He was walking through the atrium of the _Elmer Holmes Bobst Library_ when his phone beeped with a notification. He stepped out of the library, pulling his phone from his back pocket, looking at the screen. It was a bank deposit notification; Bucky frowned, swiping the notification open on his bank app, and stared at the $3,000 deposit made into his account from early this morning.

 

“What the fuck—“

 

He dialed Tony’s private number, putting the phone by his ear, the low sinking feeling in the pit of his belly growing. What if Tony didn’t really mean it, that he just thought Bucky was playing a role or something, and that the sex between them would only be about money?

 

“Miss me already, honey?”

 

“Why did you put money into my account? I thought we were—I thought we’re not doing that anymore, that we’d be, you know, real!”

 

Tony chuckled, warmly. “Slow down, Buckaroo!” He sighed. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure if you still expected it or not. Like an allowance.”

 

“I don’t need a fucking allowance! I just need you, Tony!”

 

There was a long silence on the other end and Bucky wondered if Tony had hung up on him. He checked the screen to make sure that the call was still connected and then pressed the phone against his ear again.

 

“Tony? You there?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, his voice slightly dazed. “Surprisingly, I’m still here.”

 

“Look, if we’re going to do this, then you’re going to have to date me, the proper way! You’re going to meet Steve and the rest of my friends. You’re going to meet my family and come to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner. We eat promptly at 4 PM on Sundays. And you’re going to stop paying me money, all right? I’m not with you for that.”

 

Tony huffed on the other end of the line, a soft laugh coming through. “I’m OK with all of that.”

 

“Good,” Bucky said, nodding to himself. “Good.”

 

“I’ll tell my Legal team that the work contract with you is over, all tasks completed, and to pay out the $1 million severance bonus—“

 

“No, Tony, didn’t I just say that I didn’t want your money?”

 

“Darling, this is a legally binding employment contract,” Tony said, cheerfully. “As soon as I terminate the contract, Legal is legally bound to pay you out.”

 

Bucky stared at his feet. “What?”

 

“So save it for a rainy day, share it with Steve, donate it all to charity, whatever, I don’t care. The money is yours,” he said, affectionately. “I know you’re not with me for the money. Somedays, I wonder why you’re with me at all, but I’m not going to let you go now, Jimmy boy.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Tony laughed, boisterously. “I still want you and Steve to move into the Tower. I think it’ll be good for both of you.”

 

“No, it would be too weird. Besides, I’m always in the City because of classes, I’ll just come visit you, like a normal boyfriend, and we’ll do normal boyfriend things.”

 

“Okay,” Tony said, pleased.   

 

***

 

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

 

“You still don’t like him,” Bucky said, looking over at Steve.

 

Steve shrugged, leaning back on their couch. “He just…he seems so full of himself, you know. Take away his fancy suits, his billions, his company, and then what does he have left?”

 

Bucky grinned, a little sadly, and glanced up at Steve. “He’d still have his name; he’d have me.”

 

He watched as Steve flushed, looking away.

 

“Stevie, he’s a good man, deep down,” he said, chuckling as he sipped his beer. “Okay, it’s pretty fucking far deep down, but Tony’s a good man. He’s good to me. And I’m good for him.”

 

_Good enough_ for him, Bucky thought, grinning to himself.

 

“He rubs me the wrong way,” Steve groused, making a face.

 

Bucky cocked his head. “Why does he rub you the wrong way? What could he do to rub you the right way?”

 

Steve’s reaction was amazing – a deep blush on his cheeks, the nervous fluttering of his eyelashes, and the twitchiness in his hands. Bucky licked his lips and smiled.

 

“You kind of want to fuck him, don’t you?”

 

“What? No! No! No, Bucky, that’s not—“

 

Bucky chuckled, moving closer towards him on the couch. “You’re just a little attracted to him, aren’t you? Come on, admit it, Stevie. I know when you’re interested in someone. You’re either a bunch of nerves or you’re openly hostile.”

 

“No, I wouldn’t…” Steve said, turning to look at Bucky and shaking his head. “I wouldn’t do that…”

 

“It would absolutely blow Tony’s mind,” Bucky said, leaning in closer, smiling widely at Steve. He was such a beautiful man, pretty blue eyes and all-American good looks and a body that earned double takes at the gym. If Bucky was a different kind of man, he wouldn’t pass the opportunity that was staring him right in the face. “I wouldn’t mind sharing him with you…or sharing you with him.”

 

“Ugh, Bucky, stop.”

 

“What? We share everything anyway,” he said, moving back to give Steve space, chuckling madly. He gave his best friend a long look over. “Tony would so fucking go for you, Stevie. I’m pretty sure the hostilities between you two get him hot and bothered, too.”

 

And that would explain why, after a night out with Steve and Tony, Tony would drop Steve off at their apartment and tell Happy to take the limo around the block as Bucky got a hard, rough fuck that left both of them panting and struggling to comprehend the intense pleasure afterwards.

 

“Forget it, Buck, that’s never going to happen,” Steve said, getting to his feet and escaping into the kitchen.

 

Bucky smiled, watching his best friend run away. He was seriously so adorable; and so in denial. He’d let it go for now, let Steve stew in his own weird sense of guilt for finding Bucky’s boyfriend attractive.

 

Bucky was happy with the way things were going with Tony. Oh, he knew, he was completely aware that Tony was a manipulative little shit, not afraid of using his money and power and influence to get what he wanted when he was too lazy to charm and cajole and seduce Bucky. But he wasn’t that easy, and no matter how they started their time together, Bucky knew what he was worth. He was gorgeous and a great catch and a loyal friend and a good partner. He was capable of balancing out Tony’s odd assortment of quirks and eccentricities and over-the-top showmanship.

 

“Never say never, Stevie.”

 

 

 

 

_Their adventures will continue…_


End file.
